Which is for You - Blended or Varietal Wines?

Written by Darby Higgs

Continued from page 1

Some wines made from a single variety are blends of several different vintages, but this is quite rare for table wines.

While on topic of labels, you should be aware that many wines bearing a single varietal name can legally contain up to fifteen percent of other varieties. If wine is labelled as a blend, then variety with largest percentage composition should be named first, for example wine labelled Cabernet Merlot, should contain a greater percentage of Cabernet than Merlot.

Our second question is “does it matter?” Well, if you find a wine that you enjoy and it is a blend, then you should continue to drink it. However if you wish to extend your wine knowledge and thus enhance your wine experience you should try varietal wines whenever possible. There are hundreds of varietal wines available, each with a special subtle difference waiting for you to discover.

Darby Higgs is an expert on Australian wines made from unusual and rare grape varieties. He is the manager of the Vinodiversity website at http://www.vinodiversity.com

Making Chinese Tea

Written by Wong Yee Lee

Continued from page 1

Examples of black tea: Pu'er Cake tea Brick tea

White tea White tea is a kind of day dry tea which is lightly fermented to a degree of 20% - 30%. Tea leaves are usually young ones covered with white fur.

Tea spoon - The best tea spoon would be made of bamboo. It is also used for removing any tea leaves from blocking tea mouth.

Tea boat - It is used for laying tea pot and tea cups. The first rinse of water would be poured into tea boat. This water can also be used for rinsing tea cups.

Tea cloth - It is used for wiping water outside tea pot.

Tea cups - The right size of tea cups would be used for their appropriate corresponding size of tea pots.

Healing aspects of Chinese tea Chinese tea is known to have good healing power. It not only boosts health but also allows longevity. However, we should avoid tea which has been left cool for a long time or overnight.

Take Oolong as an example, it can reduce fat in blood. It has been known for a long time that tea can reduce fat in human body. Or take Pu'er or white tea as an example, it would be ideal for people to maintain a slim body. Apart from effects above, all three teas can reduce possibility of developing cancer.

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